Guest lecture: Mr. Pranay Arun Kumar: What is good practice? Reflections on practice and research in medical device design

This lecture explores the impacts of medical device design on society beyond those intended by the designers. The research implores the development of a more responsible practice in healthcare innovation which is inclusive and factors risks to the environment and non-users beyond the lifecycle of the innovation itself. The lecture discusses these issues with examples from research and practice in medical device design, design of assistive technology, design of health services and systems, policy development and regulatory science.

Pranay is a designer, researcher and educator, based in Melbourne, Australia. He is a PhD candidate in the School of Design at RMIT University, a tutor on the Industrial Design Honours Programme in the School of Design and a clinical research affiliate at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. His work focuses on the design of affordable, accessible and sustainable products, services and systems. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Product Design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad in India and a Master’s degree in Design Research from the Royal College of Art in London.

Over the past 8 years, he has been a consultant with small and medium enterprises in India, higher education institutes including University of Oxford, IIT Delhi, AIIMS Delhi, NID Ahmedabad and humanitarian organizations such as WHO and the ICRC on the design of medical devices, assistive technology, healthcare services, systems and health policy. He is a recipient of two International Design Awards and is currently pursuing a full-time PhD at RMIT University. His current research explores the design of wearable devices for physical activity management for patients with Diabetes. Secondary aims of the research are to use this project as a case study to develop an ethical framework for medical device design, focusing on making medical devices accessible, affordable and sustainable by design. This is being explored through open-source design publication, patient-ownership of health data and the development of a low-cost wearable for patient-use. He also serves as a visiting lecturer at NID Ahmedabad and mentors startups in the development of healthcare innovations.

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